Customs Compliance Manager
Wherever there are imports and exports, there are two or more jurisdictions with potentially very different legal frameworks. And there are also free trade zones where customs play a minor part, as long as there are other rules in place regarding sourcing, manufacture, materials and so on. Of course, if you’re a customs compliance manager, you’ll be well aware of all this layperson’s stuff – and you’ll know all about the hurdles and paperwork required to get products across international borders.
Customs compliance manager jobs require people with a good understanding of the legal aspects of imports and exports in logistics, who will be able to apply that knowledge to a busy freight operation. They’ll be working alongside cargo managers and other logistics team members to ensure the path from country to country is as smooth as possible. Rejection of cargo at a far-flung port is not an option.
The skills required
Much of the work of the customs compliance manager is done using specialist software, so you’ll be expert in the various solutions, or one particular brand for some positions. You’ll need to know exactly where to look to find specific, accurate, up-to-date rules for the import and export of certain products, and may need to study the regulations from entirely new jurisdictions if the employer is expanding.
The role will also require you to keep on top of the state of the law in the destination and originating nations, including potential law changes and political shifts that could have a strategic impact on your business. A legal background can therefore be useful.
Customs Compliance Manager Jobs in Portsmouth
Although it doesn’t really feel like it when you are there, Portsmouth is technically an island city, indeed the UK’s only one, located as it is on Portsea Island and separated from the Hampshire coast by a 30-metre-wide creek. Geographically, it is about as close as possible to being the perfect natural harbour, with its small inlet hiding the large, navigable Fareham Lake. And needless to say, it is one of Britain’s most influential ports, with a wealth of military and civilian history behind it. The city was heavily bombed during World War II, but was also a key staging post for the D-Day landings in 1944.
Today, Portsmouth is an international port, with ferries and freight leaving its docks for Cherbourg, Le Havre, St Helier and Santander, among others. As with any port, Customs Compliance Manager jobs are abundant thanks to its pivotal role in the international logistics network.
The city is currently booming and undergoing a major redevelopment of its central area, with new housing and shopping centres being built. The military still plays a massive role in the city, with one in ten of its employees linked to the Navy, and the UK’s two aircraft carriers being built there. The European headquarters of IBM is based in the city, as well as he UK HQs of Zurich Financial Services and defence company Northrop Grumman.
Popular locations
Customs compliance manager positions
Nobody needs to remind a UK citizen that rules surrounding customs and trade can change on a whim, and that the implementation can be fuzzy and unpredictable. But the same can apply between any two trading nations. That’s why customs compliance managers are in demand more than ever before.
If you’ve got the know-how and the experience to make sure a supply chain operation gets its products through international ports with the minimum of delay, your skills are needed right now. Please follow the link below to register as a candidate.
Companies looking to fill these compliance roles are finding highly qualified talent through Cast UK. If you want the best candidates, give us a call on 0333 121 3345, because we can find them for you, wherever you are located.
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